Storage means and load-handling equipment therefor

ABSTRACT

Equipment for transferring large heavy containers and similar loads among the compartments of a vertical array of compartments and a separate transfer station and more particularly to a crane for inserting such containers into the compartments and depositing the same therein or for picking up the containers within the compartments and removing the same therefrom.

United States Patent Inventors Robert R. Young Danville; Robert W. Medland, Hayward, both of Calif. App]. No. 803,838 Filed Mar. 3, 1969 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Assignee Kaiser Industries, Inc.

Oakland, Calif.

STORAGE MEANS AND LOAD-HANDLING EQUIPMENT THEREFOR 8 Claims, 19 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 214/l6.4 A, 214/38 CA Int. Cl B65g l/06 Field of Search 214/ 16.4,

16.42, 95,161.14,14 A-E, 16.16,16.16B,16.16 C

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,903,274 3/1933 Watson 214/16.1 CA 1,977,785 10/1934 Wheelock 214/95 2,901,129 8/1959 Sanders 214/16.'1 C 3,088,605 5/1963 Martinson 214/16.1 DB 3,294,260 12/1966 Frangos 214/16.1 CB 3,302,967 2/1967 Harris et a1. 294/65 3,447,697 6/1969 Morey et a1 214/16 BX Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Raymond B. Johnson Attorneys.lames E. Toomey, Paul E. Calrow and Harold L.

Jenkins ABSTRACT: Equipment for transferring large heavy containers and similar loads among the Compartments of a vertical array of compartments and a separate transfer station and more particularly to a crane for inserting such containers into the compartments and depositing the same therein or for picking up the containers within the compartments and removing the same therefrom.

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L/M/T 530 SWITCH II:- I E- l 5 ROBERT A. YOU/V6 EOBERT w. MEDLA/V mvsmons ATTORNEY STORAGE MEANS AND LOAD-HANDLING EQUIPMENT THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to equipment for handling loads and more particularly to cranes for inserting containers of large size and weight, such as cargo containers, into compartments of a vertical storage facility and for removing the containers from the compartments.

The subject equipment is especially designed to handle large-sized cargo containers in a rapid, efficient and mechanized manner. Although the use of these containers is growing rapidly because of their uniform generally rectangular shape, their large size and weight do present handling problems. According'to current. standards, these containers may be 10, 20, 30, 35 or 40 feet in length and when loaded, may range from 20,000 pounds to nearly 70,000 pounds in weight.

Well-known shipyard and shipboard cranes and carriers are, of course, capable of lifting and moving such containers, but they are not adapted to insert such containers in or to remove such containers from a vertical array of compartments. Moreover, the known equipment for storing boxes individually or on pallets in warehouses or parking automobiles in garages are not capable of perfonning these inserting and removing functions in the most desired manner insofar as cargo-container handling is concerned.

It is to be noted at this point that the apparatus embodying the present invention is capable of handling loads other than containers but having a shape and other characteristics similar to those of a container. The present description is facilitated, however, by primary reference to cargo containers for which the present invention was designed and is particularly suited.

The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing a crane which is movable over the vertical face of a storage housing facility provided with generally horizontal compartments and which can: adjust to fit various sizes of containers; pick up a container outside of a compartment, move the container into alignment with an empty compartment, insert the container into a compartment, lower the container into a supported position within the compartment, separate from the container, and raise and withdraw from the compartment; enter a filled or partially filled compartment, lower and attach to a container therein, lift and remove the container from the compartment, and lower and release the container outside the compartment; and move a container among the various compartments and a separate transfer station. The crane is especially designed for accomplishing these functions on well-known cargo containers of varying sizes and heavy weights and of operating in an automatic or semiautomatic manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a storage housing and shows a stacker-unstacker crane embodying the principles of the present invention in a passageway of the housing. FIG. 1 also shows a railroad track extending through the housing, railroad cars on the track and illustrates the transfer station where the crane transfers containers to and from the railroad cars.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on a plane indicated by line 2-2 in FIG. I but with an operator's cab added to the crane and with only parts of the housing shown in full lines.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan of the storage housing and crane as seen from a position indicated by line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic elevational view of a portion of the mechanism for raising and lowering the cage of the crane.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, with parts broken away, as seen from a position indicated by line 55 in FIG. 1 showing in particular the cage, carriage, lifting mechanism and transfer mechanism all forming a part of the subject crane.

' metrically retracted within the cage.

LII

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C (jointly referred to as FIG. 7) when placed end-to-end form a composite fragmentary vertical section of the crane and housing'taken generally along line 7-7 in FIG. 5 with parts broken away, and particularly showing the carriage and transfer mechanism in-fu'lly extended position within one of the compartments of the housing, but with the conduit system of the lift mechanism omitted for clarity.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view, on a reduced scale from FIG. 7, showing the carriage and transfer mechanism in extended position within one of the compartments similarly to FIG. 7 but drawn slightly out of scale in the vertical dimension to facilitate showing the cables between the cage and the transfer mechanism and between the transfer mechanism and the carriage.

FIG. 9 is a plan view, as seen from a position generally indicated by line 9-9 in FIG. 5, of the lift mechanism with the conduits and various positions of lift beams being shown in phantom, and with various container sizes corresponding to said positions being indicated alongside of the mechanism.

FIGS. 10A and 10B (jointly referred to as FIG. 10) when placed end-to-end constitute a composite horizontal section taken generally along line l0-- 10 in FIGS. 7A and 7B but with more detail of the lift mechanism shown and with parts broken away.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on a plane indicated by line lll I in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. I 1.

FIGS. 13A and 13B (jointly referred to as FIG. I3) constitute a schematic view of an hydraulic system incorporated in the crane of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan of a portion of a compartment showing a portion of a carriage control system.

FIG. 15 is an electrical schematic of the carriage control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a storage housing 30 (FIGS. 1 and 2), a railroad track 32 running through the housing, railroad cars 34 on the track, and a stacker-unstacker crane 36 mounted in the housing for transferring container, as 38, between the storage housing and the railroad cars. Although the subject crane is described in its preferred embodiment in connection with picking up containers from and placing containers on the railroad cars, it will be understood that the crane is equally suited for transferring containers and other loads of generally rectangular shape to and from other vehicles or to and from the ground or other decking surface. Moreover, the crane may be employed merely for transferring containers within the storage housing and without reference to picking up or depositing containers on a vehicle or deck. Furthermore, although the storage housing 30 is shown erected on land, it could just as well be situated on another vehicle such as a ship, plane, or train. The most significant features of the present invention reside in the crane, per se, and in the relationship between the crane and the housing.

Before describing the crane in detail, however, the preferred environment for the crane is briefly described. The housing 30 includes a plurality (two shown in the drawings) of vertical arrays or sections 44 and 46 of horizontally extending compartments 50 which are separated by a vertical aisle or passageway '52. The storage housing includes a plurality of vertical columns 54 extending upward from a deck 56 and horizontal stringers 58 interconnecting the columns. Each compartment is defined by a floor 60, sides 62 and a top 64 way between the top and the floor of their respective compartment. It is to be noted that the floors of the lowermost compartments are spaced above the deck by a distance sufficient to permit passage of the railroad cars 34 and containers 38 through the housing. In the described embodiment, each compartment is large enough to hold two 20 foot long containers in end-to-end relation or one container up to 40 feet long, it being understood that various size relationships besides those described could be provided.

The railroad tracks 32 are fastened to the deck 56 and pass through the aisle 52 transversely thereof. Each railroad car 34 includes wheels 76 riding on tracks and a flat bed 78 including upwardly extending side guides 80 having inner bevelled surfaces, as is shown in FIG. 2. The railway cars are moved in and out of the housing 30 and, while in the housing, are stopped at a transfer station 82 (FIG. 1) substantially centered in the aisle.

The crane 36 of this invention is especially useful for handling large van-type freight containers, as 38, although other loads can be adapted for handling by the subject crane as will be described hereinafter. The container 38 is of generally rectangular shape and has opposite ends 84, opposite sides 86 and relatively square upper and lower comers 88 and 90, respectively. The four upper corners of the container are provided with upwardly opening keyhole-shaped sockets 92 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 11). It is also to be noted that the containers are made in various lengths usually ranging from feet to 40 feet and thus the distance between the pairs of sockets at op posite ends of the container will vary. However, the transverse dimension of different size containers is nonnally the same.

Referring now more particularly to the stacker crane 36 per se, the crane includes a bridge 100 straddling the aisle 52 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). The bridge is provided with trucks 102 that ride on mounting rails 104 secured to the sections 44 and 46 of the storage housing 30. A drive unit 106 (FIG. 2) is supported on one of the trucks for imparting movement in opposite directions to the bridge along the rails 104. A mast 108 of open framework is secured to the bridge, projects downward through the aisle and has a lower end 110 terminating at approximately the same level as the floors 69 of the lowermost compartments 50. It is to be noted that this mast includes a pair of vertical guide rails 114 of generally square cross section (FIG. 6). These guide rails have upper portions 116 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) of uniform size and lower end portions 118 somewhat reduced from the size of the upper portions. These lower reduced-end portions extend over a distance from about the bottom to the top of the lowermost compartments 50.

The crane 36 also includes a cage 124 (FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6) which is supported for elevational movement from the bridge 100 by lift cables 126 and which is guided for elevational travel by the guide rails 114. The cage includes a pair of C- shaped end members 128, each including vertical inner and outer legs 130 and 132 joined by a top beam 134. The end members are interconnected by upper and lower side beams 136 and 138 attached to the inner and outer legs. The inner legs of the cage have upper extensions 140 and arms 142 project rearward therefrom alongside of the vertical guide rails 114 of the mast 108. Roller assemblies 144 are mounted on these arms and are adapted to engage three sides of the large upper portions 116 of these guide rails when the cage is in proper elevational position. On the other hand, when the cage is positioned relatively low in the aisle, so that the roller assemblies 144 are adjacent to the smaller lower end portions 118 of the guide rails, limited movement of the cage both longitudinally and transversely thereof is permitted with respect to the guide rails. The purpose of the described relationship between the roller assemblies and the guide rails is substantially to prevent horizontal movement of the cage along the upper portions of the guide rails but to allow limited horizontal movement of the cage during transfer of containers 38 between the crane and a railroad car 34.

The inner and outer legs 130 and 132 (FIG. 5) of the cage 124 have foot portions 150 projecting toward each other from their respective legs. Substantially horizontal rails 152 are mounted on the foot portions in spaced parallel relationship to each other. These rails run transversely of the aisle 52 and are alignable with the rails 68 in the compartments 50. The foot portions are spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than the transverse dimension of the containers 38 or other loads being handled, as best illustrated in FIG. 5. Downwardly projecting V-shaped cams 154 are secured to the foot portions for guiding the cage 124 downwardly over a container.

At opposite ends of the cage 124, posts project upward from the top beams 134 (FIGS. 5 and 6), and vertically disposed sheaves 162 are rotatably mounted on these posts. The lift cables 126 are individually trained around the sheaves and extend upward through the bridge 100 and around hoist drums 166 (FIGS. 2,3 and 4) on the bridge. Since suitable hoisting mechanisms are well known in the art and do not constitute part of the present invention, only a brief description of such a mechanism will be provided herein. Each cable 126 has an end 168 extending under its sheave 162 and thence up over a sheave 170 on the bridge and down to the post 160 to which it is connected. Each cable also has an end 172 extending from its hoist drum over an upper counterweight sheave 176, which is attached to a counterweight 178 by a bracket 180, thence upward again over the sheave 174, and finally downward to a connection with the bracket 180. A hoist motor is mounted on the bridge and is connected in driving relation to the hoist drum 166 by suitable drive trains 192. A source 194 of AC/DC power for the motor 190, as well as other electrical units on the crane, is also mounted on the bridge, with AC power being supplied to the source 194 by a flex cable lying on the top of the housing parallel to the rails 104.

Upon energization of the hoist motor 190 in opposite directions, the cage 124 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may be raised and lowered along the guide rails 114 between a position aligned with the uppermost tier or horizontal row of compartments 50 and the transfer station 82. By combined energization of the hoist motor 190 and the drive unit 160, the cage can be aligned with any one of the several compartments in the sections 44 and 46. Although not shown, suitable braking and speed control mechanisms are associated with the hoist motor and the drive unit for exerting the desired braking action and speed control on the movement of the cage.

With particular reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the crane 36 also includes a carriage 200 telescopingly mounted within the cage 124. The carriage is generally rectangular in plan view (FIG. 6) and includes a pair of generally C-shaped end beams 202 (FIG. 5) of box-type construction which are interconnected by side panels 204. Top and bottom panels 206 and 207 project inward from the side panels, and inwardly directed U-shaped guideways 208 have upper U-shaped slots 210 which are generally coplanar with the guideways 208. Runways 212 extend inward from the side panels 204 intermediate the top and bottom panels, and an inner panel 214 is attached to the associated runway and bottom panel. Each inner panel has upper and lower lips 216 and 218 for purposes to be described.

The carriage 200 is mounted within the cage 124 by wheels 226 which are joumaled between adjacent side and inner panels 204 and 214 and which ride on the rails 152. The inner panels 214 are spaced from each other by a distance slightly greater than the transverse dimension of the containers 38 and, as noted in FIG. 5, are located above the foot portions 150. The lower lips 218 serve to guide the carriage downward over the upper portion of a container preliminary to attachment of the crane to a container.

For enabling attachment of the crane 36 to a container 38, or other load, an adjustable lift mechanism 230 (FIGS. 5, 7 and 9-12) is mounted within the carriage 200. The lift mechanism includes a frame comprising a pair of fixed end lift beams 232 disposed adjacent to the end beams 202 of the carriage and interconnected by side bars 234 extending lengthwise of the carriage inward of the side panels 204 and under the top flanges 206. Longitudinally adjustable inter- 

1. A transfer and storage system for shipping containers comprising the combination of a horizontal array of open-ended compartments provided with container support means and openings leading into the compartments, a container handling crane provided with a cage mounted for horizontal and vertical movement adjacent to and for alignment with said compartment openings, said compartments each being provided with horizontal rail means disposed in spaced relation to and above the compartment container support means, substantially horizontal rail means carried by the crane cage and selectively alignable with the rail means of the various compartments upon predetermined movements of the cage relative to the compartments, a carriage mounted for travel on the rail means of the cage between a retracted position within the cage and an extended position within a given compartment, a transfer frame means associated with and drivingly connected to the carriage for moving the carriage between said retracted and extended positions, downwardly projecting container lift means on the carriage for releasably engaging a container and for gripping the container as the carriage and container are moved between said retracted and extended positions, means for adjusting the lift means to the size of container to be handled, said lift means also being adapted to raise and lower a container with respect to the carriage in order to lower a container from the carriage onto a compartment container support means or to lift a container from the compartment container support means into a carrying position on the carriage and drive means on the cage and connected to the transfer frame means for imparting movement to the frame means and coupling means connecting the transfer frame means and the carriage for telescoping the carriage relative to the frame means and the cage and moving the carriage into and out of a given compartment when the rail means of the compartment and the cage have been aligned.
 2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the containers are provided with upwardly disposed pickUp means engageable with the downwardly projecting lift means on the carriage.
 3. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for adjusting the lift means are mounted on the carriage.
 4. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a drum and drive pulleys rotatably mounted on the cage.
 5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a drum rotatably mounted on said cage; main pulleys rotatably mounted on said cage on opposite sides of the drum; main drive cables attached to the drum, extending around the pulleys and connected to said transfer frame means for imparting lengthwise movement of the frame means upon rotation of said drum, auxiliary pulleys rotatably mounted on the cage on opposite sides of the drum, transfer pulleys mounted on opposite ends of the transfer frame means and carriage drive cables trained about said auxiliary pulleys and said transfer pulleys and connected to the carriage for imparting movement to the carriage in response to movement of the transfer frame means but at an increased rate from that of the frame means.
 6. A system as set forth in claim 1 including upper and lower guide means for said cage of nonuniform dimensions whereby the cage loosely fits within certain of said guide means and tightly within others of said guide means.
 7. A system as set forth in claim 1 including upper and lower guide means for said cage of nonuniform dimensions whereby the cage loosely fits within certain of said guide means and tightly within others of said guide means.
 8. A system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the cage fits loosely within said lower guide means. 